247 'Terrorists' Bought Guns Legally Last Year

The government's terrorist watch list has been in the local news lately because of a new amendment to the Zadroga 9/11 first responders bill, which says that anyone seeking health care assistance must first be screened against the list first to prove they're not a terrorist. You don't have to prove you're not a terrorist, though, to buy a gun in the United States; the Associated Press reports that 247 people on the federal watch list purchased a firearm in 2010, thanks mostly to the National Rifle Association. "We think it's wrong to arbitrarily deny a law-abiding person a constitutional right," said the NRA spokesperson. While convicted felons and illegal immigrants are barred from buying guns, suspected terrorists are not because that would mean informing them of their presence on the list after the background check. Instead, the FBI is quietly alerted, but the gun gets sold anyway. Wait until Jon Stewart hears about this one. [AP]